Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

Do you like lemon poppy seed cookies? Then you'll love these orange poppyseed cookies, flavored with fresh orange zest and poppy seeds.

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord who brought these cookies over today. They lasted about a second and a half. ~Elise

Generally, I stick to ice creams and sorbets come summer, it just gets too hot out to start cranking on the oven. Still, certain treats are worth the heat and when these orange poppy seed cookies bake it’s culinary aromatherapy.

The bright orangey flavors with the slightly citric and nutty, textural pop of poppy seeds make these cookies taste like bursts of sunshine itself. They’re easy to put together and during a season when lighter flavors just seem to pair so well with the warmer weather. The cookies are light and delicate yet pack in a lot of flavor, making them delectable for kids, yet still perfectly suited for bridal parties, baby showers, or other lighthearted events.

Feel free to switch out orange for lemon if you want something a bit more reminiscent of the classic lemon poppy seed muffin. If you do decide to use lemon, a novel option is to switch out the poppy seeds for a teaspoon of ground coriander and add it with the rest of the dry ingredients for a more Mediterranean, slightly savory cookie.

Ingredients

Method

1 Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2 Add the egg and the orange zest, beat for thirty seconds, scraping down the bowl part way through to ensure even mixing.

3 In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly sift it into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds.

4 Place heaping teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat, allowing them space as they will spread as they bake.

5 Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Remove from oven. Let sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two to let the cookies solidify a bit, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Garrett McCord is a professional writer and recipe developer whose work has appeared in many print and online publications such as Gourmet Live, Saveur, Huffington Post, Smithsonian, and NPR. Past clients also include numerous food companies, wineries, and distilleries. Garrett writes about cocktails on his website, Coupe de Grace.

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Showing 4 of 31 Comments

cindy

Made these today for x-mas gifts and they are wonderful. Next time I will try rolling them in orange sugar before baking for that holiday sparkle. :)

Regina

Instant favorite.

Christine

How long will these keep? I have a shower this weekend and wanted to know how far in advance I could make them/best ways to store them. I love these cookies – they are always a hit :) But I usually make them a night or two before. This time I’d like to get ahead as much as possible. Advice? Thanks!

I would make the dough and freeze it, then just bake them the day of. Fresh cookies can also be frozen. ~Garrett

Katie

These cookies will not disappoint you if you make them. Very light and tasty. I originally made them for as a fundraiser for cancer research with a plate of samples for people to try along with a little print out of the recipe (and your website link noted) attached to the little packages. They sold out! A lot of compliments!

Jules

I made these bright and flavorful cookies this afternoon. On the last batch, I shaped teaspoon size balls and rolled them in sugar before baking. It made them more uniform in shape and gave them a beautiful sparkle which fancied them up without making them too sweet plus added an extra bit of crispness. Excellent with tea. I loved the other reviewer’s suggestion to use them for vanilla ice cream sandwiches. I will try it this summer! Thank you for blogging.